It is the only commonly used grass seed type native to North America—and as any gardener would tell you, native plants are easier to take care of than are nonnative plants. That is one of the biggest benefits of Buffalo Grass – it will stay green throughout droughts in the hot, hot summer while normal turf grass goes dormant or dies. There’s dead patches in my lawn . In other places, fertilising it in late autumn will help maintain your lawn’s colour even in the winter. While Buffalo grass does a good job at standing-up to wear and tear, it can still become damaged due to overuse for long periods of time, or through the neglect of good lawn care practices. One week after the application of fertiliser is the best time to spray for any lawn weeds. Remember the Golden Rule of lawn fungicides – they are only ever to be used in conjunction with proper lawn care practices (cultural management practices). So it’s a good idea to apply these at the same time as the fertiliser. What to do if you have Kikuyu yellows. Be sure to water the fertiliser into the lawn immediately after application. Buffalograss is a low growing, warm season perennial. adventitious roots) at their joints (i.e. Now it’s time to adjust our lawn mowing practices. If other weed sprays are necessary, then look at these once the lawn has returned to good health. It takes a LOT of water to keep the Blue Grass from dying and water is expensive here. Short upright (i.e. Aerate the entire lawn to stop further outbreaks. And only if you feel like doing so. If your new Prestige®, Palmetto®, or Sapphire® Buffalo Lawn has developed circular patches of dead, brown or dying turf areas, then the most likely cause will be a lawn fungus disease called Brown Patch. Be sure not to spray for weeds one week before or one week after lawn mowing, as doing so could severely damage or kill the grass. Wetting Agents won’t do a great deal on their own to repair a damaged Buffalo lawn, but they are a minor element in the entire picture towards good lawn health. Even during the hotter months, you can expect that the grass will survive without asking too much from you. Lawn repair is all about good lawn care practices, and there are no such things as magic potions in a bottle. The plant has a history of being expensive and hard to establish but planting buffalo grass from the Buffalo Grass losing colour is a sign of weakness and indicates it isn’t receiving all the care it needs. We must ensure our Buffalo lawn is receiving adequate water during repair. Take All Patch. Like warm-season turf grasses, it will turn dormant and brown mid-fall through mid-spring. Once you identify why your lawn ... FIRST CONSIDER How will the lawn be used? Garden; Backyard Ideas; Get your mag delivered!-Save 29% off the cover price! During winter the affected areas turn grey. Description: A fungal disease found in warm, wet conditions which produces brown, circular patches ranging in size from very small up to a few metres in diameter. Affects: Wintergrass, Nullarbor Couch, Bentgrass, RTF Fescue, Kentucky Bluegrass, Ryegrass, DNA Certified Sir Walter Buffalo. From mowing, aerating & watering, to fertilising & seasonal lawn care tips, this guide covers it all… After reading this guide from head to toe you will be more than ... An Uneven Lawn Surface Whether you have a Buffalo Grass, Kikuyu, Couch or Zoysia lawn, an uneven surface really lets down the entire appearance of a home. The condition has been identified in a range of sown and native grasses across Queensland, including north Queensland, Mackay-Whitsunday, central Queensland, Wide Bay-Burnett and south-east Queensland regions. Or check out our handy Quick Lawn Selection Guide. ZOYSIA LAWN CARE FOR BRISBANE Mowing Mow your ... Be sure to use a weed spray labelled SAFE for BUFFALO GRASS. Lawn burn occurs when a dog urinates on the lawn, resulting in a brown patch developing that may damage the ... Don’t be put off laying a new lawn in the hot summer months. This is when excess water continues to sit on the lawn for long periods of time under humid conditions. This is one of the grasses that great herds of buffalo once grazed on and formed the sod early settlers used to build their houses on the prairie. Organic lawn products can also be applied to the lawn during repair. Buffalo grass lawns need less water, fertilizer and mowing than Kentucky bluegrass lawns. Buffalo grass was the principal forage grass for the American bison, hence the name. The brown and dying leaf of the Buffalo grass will also pull away from the grass stem very easily. Has it died?… Most Australian lawns consist of warm-season turfgrasses. Buffalo Grass is a short (12 in / 30 cm) drought tolerant perennial turf grass native to North America that is blue/green in color. Be sure to use a weed spray labelled SAFE for BUFFALO GRASS. The Golden Rule: lawns should only ever be watered in the morning – never at night. The lawn must remain strong to help fight fungal diseases in conjunction with the fungicide. Pet friendly weed killers. Infected grass blades soon die and fade to a bleach tan colour when dry. The first symptom is a yellowing of the leaves and a darkening of the roots. What is your soil type? Because as the lawn is repairing and creating new green growth, these young shoots will be fragile and easily damaged, and thus will be easily killed by any wear and tear. Weed spraying is simple and done for all lawns when needed. Small, light brown dead patches appear and then continually spread. Top dress to impress . Sir Walter DNA Certified Buffalo Grass; Sir Grange Zoysia; TifTuf Hybrid Bermuda; Eureka Kikuyu Grass; Nullarbor Couch Grass; Platinum Zoysia Grass; RTF Fescue Grass; Tropical Carpet Grass; Eureka Kikuyu Premium VG Grass; Turf suppliers; Laying turf; Lawn care ; Lawn care store; Call us. My wife and I have been saving up to landscape our lawn and want to put in some turf so that it can look nice without needing too much care. Reticulation should be checked to ensure it is functioning properly and repaired if necessary. If mowing, a minimum height of 2”-3” will help the grass compete with weeds. Brown Patch is most active and aggressive during t’s peak growing conditions. Try to reduce watering as much as possible until the disease is gone. As the name ‘warm-season’ suggests; that’s the time when these grasses are actively … To prepare the bare patch for repair: Remove any dead grass or weeds and gently cultivate and loosen the soil to create a nice soft and crumbly surface for the seeds to grow in. Brown Patch is triggered in a similar manner and time of year as the Leaf Spot disease. Buffalo Grass can be mowed several times per year or left in place for a natural look. To make it easier for you, myhomeTURF has put together a simple guide explaining what ... Brisbane and Queensland have diverse weather ranges and in terms of lawn care and maintenance here is an easy guide to follow. We can apply fertiliser a little more frequently during repair but, at much lower rates. What is your area’s climate? Within a few weeks, we should be seeing some improvements to our Buffalo lawn. Without these two components, all lawns will eventually become sick and turn brown. Next door fertalised, the lawn grew like crazy, mowed, a week later mowed again, a week later mowed again, now there are patches browning. Using the wrong weed spray on Buffalo could severely damage or even kill the grass. If you suspect your grass is suffering from too much water, cut back on the amount you are applying and adopt deeper and less frequent watering practices. Choose a lawn above to see how it rates. Aerating the grass helps your soil to breathe, which improves nutrient absorption. This gives the lawn an ongoing and much reduced source of nutrients. Buffalo grass still grows wild on the western prairies of the U.S. and has become a true rags to riches lawn grass variety. You could also use spiked aerator sandals and walk across your lawn in rows about 15 to 20cm apart. Instead of waiting 2 months until the next application of fertiliser, we can apply the fertiliser once a month during the repair phase. True. It can even be left uncut for a meadow look. Prevention is the key to stopping all lawn diseases in a Buffalo lawn, and many of the same preventative measures which stop Brown Patch from taking hold in a lawn will also be the cure. Instead, fertilise properly with a lawn fertiliser as already recommended. Make your buffalo lawn the envy of your neighbours with these comprehensive expert tips. Brown Patch will be identified by circular dying patches of lawn, which will continue to grow in size from the size of a dinner plate up to a couple of metres in diameter. It may need periodic edging to keep it out of soft pathways or adjacent planting beds. We’ve stopped further damage being done to the lawn, especially to the new and fragile growth by no longer using the lawn for play during repair. It will grow almost anywhere, from cold and wet Tasmania to hot and humid Queensland. All these products are fine in moderation. Remember that Buffalo grass likes to be kept at about 30 – 50 mm in height, and will retain its best health when kept at these heights. Rolf’s Disease. Trying to decide which fertiliser to use on your lawn, and when, can be a daunting task. Thatch build-up is a common problem with many species of lawn, including Buffalo. Areas of lawn which are bare should be excluded from mowing until the area is once again covered with new Buffalo lawn growth which is strong and healthy. Your lawn may turn yellow or brown due to several things such as, being sick with a disease, having gone dormant or simply nutrient deficient. Brown Patch is most active at a time of year when the Buffalo lawn is less actively growing, so therefore repair times from Brown Patch may be slow. Be careful not to over fertilise, which can damage the lawn, nor under fertilise, which provides little benefit. Buffalograss is very drought tolerant. For more information about organic lawn care, check out our plethora of Natural & Organic Lawn Care Guides. These times will mainly be in the warmer months when humidity can be higher. In terms of a low-maintenance, high-reward turf variety, it doesn’t get much better than the hardy buffalo. The 4kg bucket will cover upto 100 square meters, Spread the product and water in well. If you are in any doubt, or repair from Brown Patch is not happening, then contact your local licensed Weed Spraying and Lawn Treatment professional for advice and treatment, as they will have knowledge and access to treatments which the homeowner cannot purchase. Be mindful of the seasons, watering more in hotter weather and less in cooler weather, and sometimes even stopping watering throughout winter if necessary. Regular lawn mowing will aid the lawn in repair by encouraging it to grow more laterally and repair itself faster. Buffalo is a hardy grass, water should not be hurting it, my back yard at the bottom gets flooded when we get a lot of rain, at no time has the buffalo even looked like dying off. There is no need to put a big mix of products onto the lawn, we would only be complicating everything and possibly adding too many of the wrong nutrients at the same time, and wasting a lot of money in the process. You can go nuts with things like this, it all depends on how much it bugs you. Someone once said the grass is greener on the other side. Here, the experts share their knowledge on how best to care for buffalo grass, why it's such a popular choice, how to water and fertilise it *and* how to treat some of its most common problems. While there are many reasons why buffalo grass can make a good choice for a landscape plant, the best is the fact that it is drought-resistant. https://www.myhometurf.com.au/lawn-tips/brown-patch-in-buffalo-lawn While Sir Walter buffalo grass is easy to maintain, a lack of a fertilising regimen will cause your lawn to lose its health and colour. Lawn mowing frequency stays the same as for all good lawn mowing frequencies, with only an adjustment in mowing height if necessary, while avoiding mowing any bare patches. However, too much … We have begun a proper lawn fertilising regime by using good quality lawn fertilisers, and we are applying the next few applications at reduced rates but, a little more frequently during the repair process. Wetting Agents are simple and good lawn care practices which should be done at least once or twice a year. Fossils discovered in Kansas show that buffalograss existed in that region at least 7 million years ago. Teller County Colorado. All based on solid lawn care practices, with everything in moderation, and nothing done to the extreme. It is designed for use on your Matilda Buffalo Lawn, but can be used on any type of grass. So far we have added nutrients to the Buffalo turf in the form of fertilisers, we have stopped using the area for any type of wear and tear, we have ensured the lawn is being watered properly and receives the most benefit from that watering by applying Wetting Agents. A Reel mower will give you the best results (if you can afford one). Measure up the lawn and apply a good quality lawn fertiliser with trace elements and phosphate at the manufacturer’s recommendations. As well as interfering with healthy grass growth, too much water encourages weeds and lawn pests. Types of grass . A Broadleaf Weed Killer will kill the majority of weed types in Buffalo grass. But it’s even more so with Buffalo Review’s range of turf solutions. Here are six easy steps to perform. Proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is a good investment, especially when working with volatile products on and around your lawn. nodes). Raise the height of the lawn mower slightly if you believe the lawn was previously being mowed too low. The plant is a perennial native to the Great Plains from Montana to New Mexico. Using this method, we use a quarter to a third of the amount of fertiliser we would normally use on our lawn. The lawn should be off bounds during repair. Thatch. Grass that’s more hardy than you’d expect. Simple tricks to detect pests in your lawn. You may also like. On inspection, the lower part of the dead leaf will appear as a rotting dark brown colour. Carpet Grass 30–50mm. Wetting Agents will aid in dispersing water properly and effectively throughout the soil profile, and as such will help the lawn to receive the most benefit from its watering regime. A Broadleaf Weed Killer will kill the majority of weed types in Buffalo grass. Depending on the season, as long as the lawn is still actively growing – we should see major improvements in the quality of our Buffalo lawn as each month passes, until the Buffalo lawn is once again in full health and is fully repaired. So let’s repair our damaged buffalo lawn, using solid lawn care practice. Connect with us. Today, bison are in little danger of dying out completely. To stop your buffalo grass from turning brown, begin a year-round lawn care regimen which involves regular lawn fertilising, and adequate watering. What lawn is best suited for all the above? These products are usually based on seaweed, blood and bone or pelletised manure products. These peak fungus-growing conditions are usually brought on by ourselves when we water lawns at night time. However, Brown Patch may not always be seen in the heat of summer, but instead, be most common either side of summer. Buffalo grass turf goes dormant and turns brown with extended drought and cool fall weather. Once the lawn is back to full health, we return to a standard fertilising program. Lawns of buffalo grass, although usually started from seed, may be vegetatively planted. Like we said, there are no magic potions, just good quality lawn care based on sound lawn care practices for all lawns. How to pick the perfect type of lawn for your location. It may start in spring and spread during summer and autumn, but cooler weather halts the progress of the fungus. The Mediterranean climate gives rise to chilly, single-figure overnight lows in winter, before turning on the burners over ... FAST FACTS Less mowing Less fertiliser Water efficient Weed resistance Pest and Disease resistance A low maintenance lawn is one that requires less mowing, fertiliser and ... FAST FACTS Hard-wearing Deep-rooted system Quick recovery from damage Soft underfoot and to touch Many families want a luscious green lawn that can cope with the heavy traffic ... Buffalo grass can be planted out at most times of the year in Australia. Apply an organic product once or twice during the three month period allowed for the lawn’s repair. Today Perth is no longer a slave to ... Weather-wise, Adelaide is a town of contrasts. The grass spreads by stolons and was first used as a turf grass in the 1930s. erect or ascending) flowering stems (i.e. Don Burke shows how to repair a bare patch of Buffalo Lawn with this cheap & effective method. It’s likely the lawn needs either nutrients or water. It can tolerate prolonged drought and extreme temperatures. Is there another grass such as Zoysia that requires less water but looks better and is easier to walk on than buffalo grass? For more fast facts and Q&As on our Buffalo varieties –. ... Spring lawn care means it will then be set-up to get through the coming summer months. Fertilise every 8 – 9 weeks and water a couple of times a week (you can get away with just watering the bare areas) TIP: Whilst your buffalo grass is repairing itself, it is important to help it along by minimising traffic as much as possible. This means no cars, no bikes, no playing etc… on the lawn during its repair stage. Perhaps 400,000 live across the western United States and Canada, primarily on private ranches. A regular watering, fertilizing and mowing schedule does wonders especially in summer. For more information about mowing heights, check out our Lawn Mowing Guide for Buffalo Grass. Buffalo grass (Stenotaphrum secundatum) is regarded as an environmental weed in Victoria, Western Australia, New South Wales, South Australia and south-eastern Queensland. The problem of lawn burn caused by dog’s urine is a common one. Keeping things simple and small in application and quantities. Good soil and close attention to new seedlings can help get a good stand started quickly. The warmer the weather, the quicker your lawn’s new roots will establish BUT, make sure you have plenty of water. Buffalo grass is low maintenance and tough as a turf grass. . These are the basics for repairing a damaged Buffalo lawn. How to Grow Buffalo Grass. Lawn mowing should be continued as normal during the lawn repair phase for any areas of the lawn which are still in fairly decent health. Pasture dieback is a poorly understood condition that causes unthrifty growth and death of otherwise very productive pastures. Buffalo Grass is a great warm-season option for your lawn. In areas with highly sandy soils, fertilising the lawn every two months according to the manufacturer’s recommended application rates will help maintain its lushness. Always aim to water the lawn … If the thatch layer on your lawn becomes too thick it prevents … Subscribe for $4.95 per issue Subscribe Now. Buffalo grass is one of the most common lawn varieties seen across Australia. Stop fertilising until the lawn is recovered. Feeding the lawn more often with less food. The blue-green leaves of unmowed plants are commonly 8-10 inches and have very fine hairs on both upper and lower surfaces. Multiple circles of Brown Patch are common on Buffalo lawns infected by the disease. Summer is a great time for repairing bare patches with lawn seed, as new grass seedlings can establish quickly with regular watering. Get into a regular program of fertilising and watering whilst your buffalo turf is repairing itself. Your lawn has been slow in growth, you have been mowing a lot less frequently in the last couple months, and the grass has lost a little bit of colour. Unless the lawn was recently sprayed for weeds – then the catcher would need to be used and the clippings disposed of for the first couple of mowings after spraying. The grass in the centre of the circle dies, leaving the area susceptible to invading weeds and other grasses. . 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